TBW - The French government opens the door to Bitcoin mining by EDF
An idea has long been circulating in the French ecosystem: why not EDF, the state-owned energy giant, monetise its surplus production - particularly nuclear - by mining Bitcoin? This innovative approach could effectively help reduce its considerable debt. While Marine Le Pen recently took up the subject in Flamanville, the government has so far remained silent on the issue.
"Using surplus energy to mine Bitcoin is a good example of a debate that has been hijacked by an extreme fringe of the political arc, even though it is a real subject," French Digital Minister Clara Chappaz told a handful of people, including The Big Whale, during a visit to the Paris premises of French Ledger, which is the world leader in digital asset preservation.
He added: "Rather than making this a communications issue, we need to look at it seriously. I know that some of you have already looked at it, we need to continue in a pragmatic way to evaluate what such a scheme could look like."
The Minister also points out that EDF's management has just changed (Bernard Fontana has been appointed by the Élysée to succeed Luc Rémont), opening the way for further discussions: "We will have to analyse this type of subject from an economic point of view, without ideology, and ask ourselves the right questions."
"You will understand that this is not a matter that will be decided by me alone as Minister of Digital Affairs. This is a highly inter-ministerial issue, but one that we need to examine and for which we must provide you with precise answers once we have studied it."
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Digital euro and AMF deadlines
Also, the digital euro is among the hot topics discussed. While discussions continue in Brussels, and ECB President Christine Lagarde recently set a deadline of October 2025 for a decision on the launch, Clara Chappaz is attentive to the industry's concerns, particularly regarding privacy protection. "There's still a lot of work to be done at European Commission level. For those who want to take part in the debate, we'll make sure that there are opportunities for dialogue so that you can put forward your position."
She calls on the French ecosystem to structure itself around common positions: "There will inevitably be points of convergence and divergence, that's normal. But our role is also to act as a link between what happens in France and what is decided in Europe."
With regard to the time taken by the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) to process PSAN or MiCA applications, a point regularly criticised by industry players, the Minister tackles the subject head-on: "We need to understand why it takes longer. "
She says she has already raised the subject with the heads of the AMF: "I've had discussions with them on several issues, including this one. We need to ask ourselves what we can simplify, look at what other countries are doing, and find solutions."
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And she concludes: "It is essential that the processes in France are not more complex, longer, or more opaque than elsewhere. It's a competitiveness issue, and we'll be working on it in a very concrete way."
These statements come a day after the announcement by Bpifrance, which yesterday made official a significant increase in its investments in blockchain start-ups in the ecosystem. Between now and 2029, the public investment bank is expected to inject just over 200 million.
